Transforming an Urban Public School District: Tracking the Progress of New Haven Public Schools’ Educational Reforms and the New Haven Promise Scholarship Program

Reads and Resources

The School Change Initiative (2009) and the New Haven Promise scholarship program (2010) were introduced to New Haven as a collective effort to close the achievement gap, increase high school graduation rates, and ensure students that are academically and financially poised to succeed in college. This study, commissioned by the RAND Corporation in 2013, assesses the initiatives’ short-term progress and highlights areas in need of improvement. RAND found many positive improvements (climate, student achievement, dropout rates, college attendance). However, RAND also found areas for improvement. Looking ahead, RAND recommends that both programs undertake internal evaluation efforts to support continued improvement.